We woke up early to leave Jerusalem
and head to Kennes. When we arrived we had a somber moment because we were
leaving our body guard Yakov and our favorite bus driver Brent, but we knew
they would return at the end of the trip. That feeling soon disappeared once
the other cohorts from around North America and South Africa began to arrive. While
waiting for lunch, a large meet and greet commenced. We got our first glimpse
of the upcoming couple of days. Many kids in our cohort felt overwhelmed,
myself included, but that feeling soon left us if we realized everyone else was
in the same boat.
After
lunch we all piled into the auditorium for the opening ceremony which consisted
of a 90 second intro in which each cohort did a song or dance or a combination
of the two. It was a strange experience, but we survived. After the opening ceremony,
we split up into “color groups” (smaller groups with two fellows from each of
the eleven cohorts). Once we had gotten into the smaller group it was much
easier to communicate with each person. I enjoyed the smaller groups because it
gave me a more relaxed setting to meet Jews my age from all around the world. The
ice breakers were followed by an hour long mingling session with everybody in
Kennes. I decided to keep my worries to myself and talk to as many people as
possible, so it was a great time!
Finally,
a much needed dinner was followed by the most engaging speaker of Kennes, Neil
Lazarus. He spoke to us about the issues within the Middle East in as funny a
way as possible. He kept everyone engaged and laughing, especially Colman. I
learned a lot in a short period of time and I started brainstorming for the upcoming
Impact Projects. We close out the jam packed day with our most in depth Ma’agal
Lila of the year. The questions we answered spanned from our feelings about the
day to some of our innermost secrets which helped bring our Chicago cohort
closer than ever before. But… the night had one more surprise in store, the
White tent! Where all the cohorts could go and dance the night away until
curfew. Kennes was an unexpected new experience that brought even the most sociable
out of their comfort zones and we all relished the great opportunity!
---- Noah Simon
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